There is a need to sanitize items that collect significant amounts of bacteria, such as surgical instruments and oral appliances. Failure to sanitize such items allows bacteria to collect and to multiply upon the surface of such items. Future use of the bacteria infected items may cause illness and may pose a serious health risk. For this reason apparatuses for sanitizing items to kill bacteria collected on such items have been developed. The following patents disclose some of these types of apparatuses.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,252 (Ameseder) discloses an apparatus for disinfection of lavatory instruments, medical instruments or the like, through ultraviolet radiation, wherein the instruments are arranged within a housing in combination with a mounting plate and irradiated by a light source which generates UV-radiation.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,213,603 (Pinsky) discloses a system and method for toothbrush sanitization and storage whereby the bristles of a toothbrush may be inserted into a housing having a ultraviolet light for sanitizing the toothbrush bristles.
United States Patent Application No. 2006/0242788 (Day) discloses a portable, reusable cleansing system for mouth guards whereby a mouth guard may be inserted within a housing and an ultraviolet light may be utilized to sanitize the mouth guard.